October 2018 Bulletin
Entry posted by abhorsen. in bulletin
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Welcome to HPFT's October bulletin, where you can find all of our major monthly announcements and information about an upcoming (and a very spooky 
) event!
If you're new, first and foremost: welcome to HPFT! It's awesome to have you with us. 
HPFanficTalk is a forum/archive - the forum is Harry Potter-themed (including a year-long house cup), but we talk about other fandoms, too, and the archive is multi-fandom/OF. 
We have a strong culture of support for other writers and feedback here, including a story help section, challenges, and reviewing events, so if you're a writer, you've come to the right place. 
A quick rundown to help you get started here on the forums: please post in the 'Welcome to HPFT' topic +here to say that you've read over the rules and understand them. You can specify your house in that post or in our sorting ceremony +here - once you do, we'll sort you into the right group so you can see a common room that only people in your house are allowed to see. You're welcome to post in your common room and/or in our introductions forum +here to introduce yourself if you'd like, and you may also find our +FAQs helpful.
Enjoy your stay!
We're very sad to announce that @BellaLestrange87 is stepping down as Auror, and @Slytherinchica08 will be stepping down as prefect. We hope they'll still have the time to pop in. However, we are very happy to welcome @adorably cute to our prefect ranks!
Congratulations, Sarah! Thank you again, Olivia and Erica! 
During the first week of every month, we open up applications for all staff, prefect, and house newsletter editor positions. (The newsletter editor part is new starting this month, but we'll be keeping it going forward!) There's no post count/join date limit, and you can apply for as many positions as you like - it's all on one application. We hold onto applications for three months before you need to apply again. A detailed rundown on how HPFT staffing works can be found +here, and you can find the application +here. If you're interesting, please apply by Midnight EST on October 13th.
If you applied in August or September, you don't need to apply again unless you'd like to apply for additional positions or change your answers - we will still consider you this month.
Something wicked this way comes...
It's the Halloween season, and you know what that means: it's time to get spooky. 
For this event, though, you'll need to put your quills down - you'll want to be as alert as possible for this, because one wrong step could lead you to your doom... and once you start an adventure, there are so many things that could go dreadfully wrong. 
GRYFFINDOR:
The Den has been a busy, busy place this month! September kicked off with the relaunch of Printed with Pride, our shiny new monthly newsletter. Under the leadership of @adorably cute, we’ve also launched a Book Club for a much-needed reread of the Harry Potter books. Finally, our Featured Fic for October is Complicated [M] by @ShadowRose and our Leading Lion is @Chemical_Pixie. Congratulations, you two!!
HUFFLEPUFF:
September was a great month in the Basement, starting with our celebration of the Hufflepuff House Cup victory! Later in the month, we posted the Hufflepuff Annual Survey, which is still underway (head over and fill it out!). Finally, we recognized some of our outstanding members: our 'Puff of the Month, @victoria_anne; our Review of the Month writer, @Dojh167; and our fantastic Story of the Month, to dwell on dreams by @Stella Blue! Congratulations to all the winners, and don't forget to read the next issue of Hear Ye, Hufflepuff later this week for full details on all CR goings-on.
RAVENCLAW:
We've had a bit of a quiet month here in Ravenclaw, but that doesn't mean our celebration of Claws has slowed in any way! Our story of the month is China Doll [M] by @forever_dreaming and our Claw of the Month is @Alopex. Come visit the Tower, whether it's in the Ravenclaw Retreat, one of the game threads or our recently revived book recommendation thread!
SLYTHERIN:
In Slytherin, @starbuck was featured in the Hot Seat this past month. @starbuck also won October's Slytherin of the Month award, and @teh tarik's To Boil Telephone Porridge [M] won the October House Story of the Month Award. After being put on hold for the month of September, the Slytherin Book Club will resume this October with @starbuck's The Art of Being Nonchalant (or Not) [M]. We've recently picked up a large handful of new and returning members in Slytherin, which has been extremely exciting in the Pit! Welcome, to all of our new and returning Snakes!!
Common Room News Write-ups by @ShadowRose, @Renacerá, @facingthenorthwind, and @Rumpelstiltskin
As some of you may have seen, earlier last month the Prefects celebrated their first ever TOADs Awards (the Totally Outstanding Awards, Dudes!), highlighting some members and staff who they felt had gone above and beyond to help out in the Finale. The Prefect Team would like to announce that they have one more TOADs Award to give out....
To @Rumpelstiltskin: for your hard work, support, unparalleled organisation, and patience, your Prefect Team awards you the Rubeus Hagrid Award for Care of Panicking Prefects!! 
Congratulations Rumpels, we would all be so lost without you!! 
Write-up by @Sleepingbagonthesofa, T.O.A.D.s Award graphic by @facingthenorthwind.
Our first head student is a steady presence on the forums and always has a kind word or thoughtful insight to offer. She was incredibly helpful during the House Cup opener and you will always find high quality writing on her author page. This recognition is extremely well deserved! Please give it up for...
Our second head student became a prefect recently, and since then, she has been a force of nature around the forums. She is always bubbly, kind, and eager to help, and still finds the time to write engaging and entertaining stories on the archives. She is an encouraging and supportive member.
Please PM me with your choices of stories to feature in next month's bulletin. Thank you again, and congratulations!
This month's Order of Merlin goes to...
Gina is a delightful presence on both the HPFT Forums and the Archives; she can often be found doing Auror duties by validating new chapters, or writing some wonderful stories of her own (like the one that won Story of the Month this month!) Gina has also been a massive asset to Gryffindor House this month - she led the relaunch of the monthly Printed with Pride newsletter and has been incredibly active in the Common Room and for the House Cup opener. We’re so grateful for all of the hard work she does for HPFT, and she is indisputably, as said by @TidalDragon himself, “the Queen of Gryffindor.”
October's story of the month is...
Project Azkaban (M) by @Unwritten Curse
Plans for The Azkaban Project began during Voldemort’s reign. With the allegiance of the dementors in question, Azkaban’s current order of operation was no longer viable. Combining their most innovative studies in Space, Time, and Thought, the Department of Mysteries forged a new prison experiment. But what they thought they could control, soon began to control them.
Every month, HPFT runs Fic Night, where a staff member reads a nominated fic from one of our members. You can check out @TidalDragon reading No Mercy (M) by @starbuck and The Forest Cottage by @MadiMalfoyfor September's Fic Night +here if you haven't seen it yet!
This month, we're featuring: some winners of our monthly sitewide competitions, several stories from past FROGS and house yearly awards, and two staff picks. Thank you so much to our staffers who chose our two staff picks: @abhorsen. (We, Lawbreaking Citizens) and @Rumpelstiltskin (Cherry Blossoms). Click through for links; please keep in mind that some may be rated M.
Congratulations, @abhorsen., @LooneyLizzie, @MadiMalfoy, @Nix, @nott theodore, @Pixileanin, @Rumpelstiltskin, @sihaya, @Slide, @starbuck, @StarFeather, and @toomanycurls!
October 31 – The Challenge Yourself Challenge by @Slytherinchica08
October 31 - The Seven Deadly Sins Challenge by @nott theodore & @Crimson Quill
November 1 - The Trope Of Aces Challenge - by @Lady Ausra
December 1 - The Unreliable Narrator Challenge by @Stella Blue & @Felpata_Lupin
December 14 - The Anti-Protagonist Challenge by @Unwritten Curse
December 20 - The Inspired By Art Challenge by @Chelts-rhj
December 24 - The Women Supporting Women Challenge by @esmeraude
May 31 – The Dragon Tale Story Challenge by @StarFeather
3 - @potterfan310; @you-make-me-wander
4 - @Ineke
11 - @FireOpal
12 - @GinnyPotter242; @Jayna; @MuggleMaybe
19 - @Margaret
20 - @BookDinosaur
27 - @eloxcin
29 - @Kaptain Knuts
30 - @WindingArrow
Common room news compiled by @RoxiMalfoy and written by @ShadowRose, @Renacerá, @facingthenorthwind, and @Rumpelstiltskin. Toads award write-up by @Sleepingbagonthesofa and award by @facingthenorthwind. Head students written by @victoria_anne. Order of Merlin written by @ShadowRose. Challenges and birthdays compiled by @Ineke. Rest of bulletin write-up and all headers/site awards by @abhorsen.. Please rehost and credit if you'd like to keep your awards!